Bains commands 12.8-point lead in 35th Assembly District race
Dr. Jasmeet Bains held onto a 12.8 percentage-point lead Wednesday as Kern County election workers continued counting ballots in the 35th Assembly District race.
With all precincts at least partially reporting as of 9:42 a.m., the incumbent Democrat had 56.2% of the vote to Republican challenger Robert Rosas' 43.8%, according to the California Secretary of State's website.
Bains beat Rosas by 14 points in the March primary. Democrats have about a 22-point advantage over Republicans in voter registration party preferences in the 35th, which is situated entirely within Kern, including northern portions of the county, Arvin, east Bakersfield and Lamont.
Tuesday's election was Bains' first general election against a Republican. Two years earlier she beat a better-known Democrat by 21 points to become the state Legislature's first Sikh American.
Bains and her campaign spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
The Delano native campaigned on improving affordability for local residents, while Rosas, an elected member of the executive board of the Kern County Young Republicans, pledged to protect small businesses from what he considered regulatory overreach in Sacramento.
Rosas said by phone Wednesday he was "extremely impressed" with how many votes he received so far — nearly 25,000 — "considering the overwhelming differences in registration numbers."
"You know, the voters have spoken. We all have to go back to our day to day," he said, adding he remains grateful for the support he received in the election.
